The Cold Dish: A Walt Longmire Mystery

Award-winning author Craig Johnson's critically acclaimed debut Western mystery takes listeners to the breathtaking mountains of Wyoming for a tale of cold-blooded vengeance. Four high-school boys were given suspended sentences for raping a Cheyenne girl. Now, two of the boys have been killed, and only Sheriff Walt Longmire can keep the other two safe.

An Obvious Fact

In the midst of the largest motorcycle rally in the world, a young biker is run off the road and ends up in critical condition. When Sheriff Walt Longmire and his good friend, Henry Standing Bear, are called to Hulett, Wyoming - the nearest town to America's first national monument, Devils Tower - to investigate, things start getting complicated.

The Highwayman: A Longmire Story

When Wyoming highway patrolman Rosey Wayman is transferred to the beautiful and imposing landscape of the Wind River Canyon, an area the troopers refer to as no-man's-land because of the lack of radio communication, she starts receiving "officer needs assistance" calls. The problem? They're coming from Bobby Womack, a legendary Arapaho patrolman who met a fiery death in the canyon almost a half century ago.

Hard Country: A Novel

National best-selling author and New Mexico native Michael McGarrity takes listeners to the wild territory of the late 19th-century American Southwest for this epic tale. After the deaths of his wife and brother, John Kerney gives up his West Texas ranch and heads south in search of a new home. Soon Kerney is offered work trailing cattle to the New Mexico Territory - a job that will forever change his life.

Escape Clause: A Virgil Flowers Novel, Book 9

The first storm comes from, of all places, the Minnesota zoo. Two large and very rare Amur tigers have vanished from their cage, and authorities are worried sick that they've been stolen for their body parts. Traditional Chinese medicine prizes those parts for home remedies, and people will do extreme things to get what they need. Some of them are a great deal more extreme than others - as Virgil is about to find out.

The Wrong Side of Goodbye: A Harry Bosch Novel, Book 21

Harry Bosch is California's newest private investigator. He doesn't advertise, he doesn't have an office, and he's picky about who he works for, but it doesn't matter. His chops from 30 years with the LAPD speak for themselves. Soon one of Southern California's biggest moguls comes calling. The reclusive billionaire has less than six months to live and a lifetime of regrets. He hires Bosch to find out whether he has an heir.

The Royal Wulff Murders

A local fisherman lands more than he bargained for when he pulls a dead body out of Montana’s Madison River. Sheriff Martha Ettinger takes on the case and soon comes into the company of reclusive artist, Montana newcomer, and ex-PI Sean Stranahan. After teaming up to investigate, Martha and Sean soon uncover evidence that the murder has ties to one of the state’s biggest industries: fly fishing.

Crazy Mountain Kiss: A Sean Stranahan Mystery

It's April, but there's still snow on the Montana mountains the day a member of the Madison River Liar and Fly Tiers club finds a Santa hat in the chimney of his rented cabin. With the flue clogged, and desperate to make a fire, he climbs up to the roof only to find the body of a teenage girl wedged into the chimney.

Open Season: A Joe Pickett Novel

C.J. Box’s Open Season is a rare debut mystery that “immediately sets itself apart from the crowd” (Booklist). This thrilling novel stars Joe Pickett, a game warden in Wyoming who finds his life in danger after he looks into a murder investigation and discovers a conspiracy involving an oil pipeline and its threat to an endangered species.

Tularosa

In a wicked conspiracy reaching across the Mexican border, Tularosa pits a jaded ex-cop against tight-lipped Army personnel, hired thugs, and smooth-talking outlaws. Forced into retirement by a crippling gunshot wound, Santa Fe policeman Kevin Kerney seeks solitude on a small New Mexico ranch far from the nearest neighbor. But when his godson disappears without a trace into the harsh, high-security desert of the White Sands Missile Range, Kerney emerges to search for the young soldier.

Night School: A Jack Reacher Novel, Book 21

It's 1996, and Reacher is still in the army. In the morning they give him a medal, and in the afternoon they send him back to school. That night he's off the grid. Out of sight, out of mind. Two other men are in the classroom - an FBI agent and a CIA analyst. Each is a first-rate operator, each is fresh off a big win, and each is wondering what the hell they are doing there. Then they find out: A jihadist sleeper cell in Hamburg, Germany, has received an unexpected visitor - a Saudi courier seeking safe haven while waiting to rendezvous with persons unknown.

Bad Country

Rodeo Grace Garnet lives alone, save for his old dog, in a remote corner of Arizona known to locals as the Hole. He doesn't get many visitors, but a body found near his home has drawn police attention to his front door. The victim is not one of the many illegal immigrants who risk their lives to cross the border just south of the Hole, but is instead a member of one of the local Indian tribes.

DanBudda says:"Wow!! Please give this book a chance to knock you off your feet!"

Iron Lake: Cork O'Connor, Book 1

Anthony Award-winning author William Kent Krueger crafts this riveting tale about a small Minnesota town’s ex-sheriff who is having trouble retiring his badge. Cork O’Connor loses his job after being blamed for a tragedy on the local Anishinaabe Indian reservation. But he must set aside his personal demons when a young boy goes missing on the same day a judge commits suicide—and no one but O’Connor suspects foul play.

The Last Ranch: A Novel of the New American West

When Matthew Kerney returns to his ranch in the beautiful San Andres Mountains after serving in Sicily during World War II, he must not only fight to recover physically and emotionally from a devastating war injury, but he must also battle attempts by the US Army to seize control of his land for expanded weapons testing.

Manitou Canyon: Cork O'Connor Mystery Series

Since the violent deaths of his wife, father, and best friend all occurred in previous Novembers, Cork O'Connor has always considered it to be the cruelest of months. Yet his daughter has chosen this dismal time of year in which to marry, and Cork is understandably uneasy. His concern comes to a head when a man camping in Minnesota's Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness goes missing. As the official search ends with no recovery in sight, Cork is asked by the man's family to stay on the case.

Buffalo Jump Blues

In the wake of Fourth of July fireworks in Montana's Madison Valley, Hyalite County sheriff Martha Ettinger and Deputy Sheriff Harold Little Feather investigate a horrific scene at the Palisades cliffs, where a herd of bison have fallen to their deaths. Victims of blind panic caused by the pyrotechnics, or a ritualistic hunting practice dating back thousands of years? The person who would know is beyond asking, an Indian man found dead among the bison, his leg pierced by an arrow.

Back of Beyond

Cody Hoyt, while a brilliant cop, is an alcoholic struggling with two months of sobriety when his mentor and AA sponsor Hank Winters is found burned to death in a remote mountain cabin. At first it looks like the suicide of a man who’s fallen off the wagon, but Cody knows Hank better than that....

Publisher's Summary

Craig Johnson has won multiple awards and earned starred reviews from Library Journal,Publishers Weekly, and Kirkus Reviews for his New York Times best-selling Walt Longmire mysteries. Embarking on his eighth adventure in As the Crow Flies, Sheriff Longmire is searching the Cheyenne Reservation for a site to host his daughter’s wedding, when he sees a woman fall to her death. Teaming up with beautiful tribal chief Lolo Long, Walt sets out to investigate the suspicious death.

Walt Longmire is one of the most wonderful book characters ever. I'd love to have him as a neighbor and friend. George Guidall has done such an amazing job of giving voice to the big, gentle man. I don't know if this is my favorite book in the series - I like them all. If you have not listened to any of them, start at the beginning and go through them in order. They're each a chapter of Walt's big life.

If you ever need something to listen to in the car that will appeal to both men and women, this is the series. Everyone loves Walt. And really, George Guidall could read a phone book and I'd listen.

The setting and central character of C. Johnson's Longmire series invite comparison with James Lee Burke's recent books set in Montana. Both authors evoke landscape and local culture with deft brush strokes which contribute not only vivid visual images but also a sometimes haunting sense of milieu which actively drives the story. Both law officers are Vietnam era vets who have evolved into men who possess tremendous charisma rooted in a wisdom and gentleness born of tragedy, loss and recovery. Both are surrounded by an engaging cast of characters who become more interesting and "real" with each book. Both mine rich veins of mysticism at times in ways which challenge our comfortable assumptions about the limits of reality.

That said, there is something much more comfortable, approachable and less visceral (not to mention bloody) in Sheriff Longmire and his adventures. If you seek antagonists who are personifications of evil, you will be disappointed here. Johnson's plots rise most often from the everyday and the prosaic while Burke's almost celebrate the existence of a kind of intrusive malevolence beyond understanding. As a result, instead of the high voltage exhilaration derived from defeating Dave Robicheaux's typically diabolical adversaries, Walt Longmire leaves us with satisfaction at a job well done and a nagging awareness of how most evil springs from roots which are very familiar to all of us.

I love both series, but I was less taken by "Crow" than by the previous Longmire novels. The victim never quite mattered enough for me, and it seemed that the investigation took a back seat to the introduction and development of a new character (a very promising one). These books are always driven by character, but the balance seemed a trifle off this time to the point that the climax of the investigation left me wanting more. Still well worth the credit, however, and I have already downloaded the next book in the series.

This is a rustically charming series with a delightful cast of characters. George Guidall is picture-perfect in the many voices, especially the Bear, Walt's Best friend, a Cheyanne. As always there's mystery, mysticism and plenty of action. Just an enjoyable listen!

Mr. Johnson has returned to the style that first hooked me back in book one. Wry and witty comments mixed with beautiful descriptive prose.

What was one of the most memorable moments of As the Crow Flies?

I am an old grizzled Viet Nam vet who found himself tearing up at the wedding scene in the epilogue. But then again, I have been known to get misty when watching commercials for baby diapers... Go figure...

What about George Guidall’s performance did you like?

In my mind, Mr. Guidall has become the voice for Walt Longmire and Henry Standing Bear. His slight changes in vocal timbre and inflection are right on the mark. I get the feeling that Mr. Guidall loves reading these books as much as I love listening.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The fact that I find myself laughing outloud throughout the book is such a joy. I so look forward to Mr. Johnson's work!

Any additional comments?

My dear friend passed away a few short months ago. Over the years, we would download our Walt Longmire books and, after completely devouring our respective copies, we would pour a couple of Rainier Ales and rehash our favorite parts. I miss him dearly and I'm afraid he missed one of the best books in the series...

This was my favorite of the series since "Cold Dish." I don't know that any protagonist is better matched to a reader than Walt Longmire is to George Guidall in this series. I highly recommend the book. If you haven't started the series, start with "Cold Dish" and enjoy the ride!

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

George Guidall is Walt Longmire and he is Henry Standing Bear and even Vic (although I missed Vic in this book). I could listen to his voice all day long.

Any additional comments?

I loved this book and I love this series. Right after finishing this one, I put A Cold Dish on and started listening to it again. It's like seeing an old friend standing at my door. Craig Johnson is a marvelous writer and I love the way he turns a phrase and brings a poetic visual to life.

After Hell Is Empty, I didn't think that Craig Johnson could get better, but I was wrong. While As the Crow Flies isn't as "literary" as its predecessor, it is a wonderful piece of writing.

The new characters are a delight. Lolo is great and I really appreciate her interaction not only with Walt but with her mother (who knows how to deal with her). I hope she will be back so we can see her mature into a fine police officer. I missed Vic in this one, but it was good to have Henry back full time. Dog was also a welcome inclusion this time.

Johnson's strength is in his characters. I know these people, and for the most part, I like them very much. I would know them if I met them on the street. I want to know them better, and he allows them to grow. Lonnie (Lonny?) is a much more mature character than he was in The Cold Dish, and I'm enjoying his new responsibilities as much as he is frustrated by them. Yes, it is so.

The plot had me completely in the dark until the last 30 minutes of the audio (or so). It wasn't as all what I was expecting, and that's all I'll say about that!! As usual the plot is logical when worked backwards.

The only thing wrong with the book is that I have finished it. Now I'm going back through the series again, just to reacquaint myself with the people. Then I suppose I'll just have to wait another year for another book.

(Other reviewers have explained the basic plot, so I will refrain from repeating them.)

Craig Johnson writes so many wonderful characters,,, people, animals and even trucks! All of them well developed and just plain fun. George Guidall brings all of them to life.A&E will begin the Longmire program June 3 and I truly hope the TV series measures up to the books

As the headline suggests I'm all into my girl Vic's alter ego Lolo Long. She's a Cheyenne nation Chief of Police with a bad attitude and a chip on her shoulder the size of Montana. Naturally Walt gets close to her and Lolo requests his help in learning how to do her job. Lolo's mother is a nurse with tribal health, an ex of the immortal Cheyenne Nation, Henry Standing Bear and one of the few people able to hold her own with Lolo. Katie is a major character in this story rather than a distant reference for Walt to allude to. There are a couple of really touching moments between father and daughter which had me crying like a little girl. As a kid who didn't meet her actual father until she was 15 I'm a total pushover for all emotional father/ daughter interactions. Which brings me up to Katie's diatribe to her future mother-in-law about all the major events in her life that Walt missed because he had a case. The biggest issue I had with this Longmire story was the lack of my favorite character Vic the Holy Terror. Victoria Moretti is the hottest lady in fiction and if she ever comes to life and I am in deep trouble; I'll be totally whipped. There are a few other things in this work that feel unique to this series that might surprise some Longmire fans. As you might have already discerned I was impressed by this selection.